


An Old Friend

by mabelagnes



Category: Doctor Who (1963)
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-04-27
Updated: 2014-04-27
Packaged: 2018-01-20 22:53:58
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 836
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1528700
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mabelagnes/pseuds/mabelagnes
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>After leaving the Doctor, Sarah is working as a journalist again. A routine interview leads to an interesting encounter.</p>
            </blockquote>





	An Old Friend

**Author's Note:**

> This was written in 1984, not long after Doctor Who's 20th anniversary special aired. Mild spoilers for "The Green Death".

    Sarah Jane Smith knocked briskly at the door in front of her. It belonged to a Professor Clifford Jones, just back from the Amazon with a new variety of mushroom which could--he said--completely replace meat in the human diet. A long stream of journalists had already interviewed the Professor about his trip and the new mushroom, but Sarah was on a different mission. She knocked again.  
    The door was opened by a short, pretty blonde woman of about Sarah's age. "Yes?"  
    "Are you Mrs. Jones?" Sarah asked. The other woman nodded. "My name's Sarah Jane Smith; I'm a journalist."  
    "I'm sorry," began Mrs. Jones politely, "But the Professor is out right now--"  
    "Good!" said Sarah. "It was you I wanted to see."  
    "Me?"  
    "Yes. Your husband's been interviewed enough already, but you must have some interesting stories to tell, as well. After all, you have just spent ten years along the Amazon tracking elusive mushrooms!"  
    Mrs. Jones grinned. "So I have. Please come in; I'd be delighted to talk to you."  
    Sarah followed her in. "By the way, what is your first name?"  
    "Josephine." She hesitated, then added, "I'm usually called Jo, but Jo Jones sounds like I'm stuttering."  
    "I see what you mean," agreed Sarah. "It sounds like much the same reason that I introduced myself as Sarah Jane, though few people call me that." She smiled at the thought of one old friend who had. And an evasive memory flicked across the back of her mind. "Well," she said briskly, "let's get started, shall we?"  
  
   
  
    An hour later, the two women still sat in the Jones's front room. The interview was nearly over. It had gone very well; Sarah's notebook was filled with notes in her neat shorthand. "Had you and the Professor been married long when you decided to go on this expedition?" she asked now.  
    "No, actually, we'd only just met. Cliff--my husband--was setting off right away, and asked me to go with him. We stopped off and got married on our way to the coast."  
    "You just threw everything over and went with him?"  
    "That's right. I felt that the work Cliff was doing was more important than what I'd been doing before."  
    "You said earlier that you had been the assistant to some scientist. Was that the job you left?"  
    "That's right. I really wasn't much help to him, though, I'm afraid. I don't really have a scientific mind."  
    "Then perhaps he didn't mind your leaving in such a hurry," Sarah suggested.  
    "Oh, he minded, I think, though he didn't make a fuss about it. It was UNIT that really objected."  
    Sarah sat up straighter. "UNIT!"  
    "They don't like people leaving abruptly. It upsets them."  
    Sarah's evasive memory abruptly surfaced. "You're Jo Grant!" she gasped.  
    Mrs. Jones looked surprised. "I was," she admitted. "How did you know that?"  
    Sarah grinned. "The Doctor told me all about you."  
    Now it was Jo who sat up straight in her chair. "The Doctor! You mean you know him!?"  
    "I met him right after you left." They eyed each other warily for a moment, each suddenly a little jealous of the other.  
    Jo got over it first. "How is he?" she asked. "I tried to look him up, but he's left UNIT."  
    "As far as I know, he's fine. Still junketing around the universe getting into trouble."  
    "You haven't seen him in a while, either, then?"  
    "Well, actually, yes. I have. I haven't travelled with him recently--he dumped me out of the TARDIS to go off on some mysterious mission--" (the memory still stung) "--but just recently I got caught up in some some of Time Scoop thing and there he was--four of him."  
    "Four! I thought there were only three! And one's plenty."  
    "He's regenerated again since then. Twice."  
    "But you said four," Jo objected. "Two more regenerations would make five."  
    "One wasn't there. Number Four. Pity, too--I wanted to see him again."  
    "What's he like now? Now that 'now' means much, with the Doctor."  
    "A little shorter than he was, blond, younger-looking, not as autocratic. But still as infuriating as ever."  
    "Still convinced he's always right, despite all evidence to the contrary?" suggested Jo.  
    "Exactly!" They smiled ruefully at each other, as parents might when discussing a very spoiled but much-loved child. "I gather he doesn't get away with it as often nowadays, though," continued Sarah. "Tegan seems very strong-minded."  
    "Tegan?"  
    "She travels with him now. He always seems to have somebody along."  
    Jo nodded. "Always did, too. Well--" more briskly "--wouldn't want him getting lonely."  
    "No," Sarah agreed.  
    There was a short silence as each of them remembered some special moment with their old friend.  
    "Did you ever get anywhere peaceful?" Jo asked finally. "I never seemed to."  
    "Peaceful--" echoed Sarah with a faraway look. "No, that was never the word. But I remember one time on Zeta Minor Four--"  
    Jo settled down comfortably for reminiscences. It was good to meet an old friend.  
  



End file.
